Gaza/Bethlehem: Israel has limited food and fuel shipments into Gaza, and now appears to be preventing journalists from entering and even leaving the area.
Several journalists have speculated that Israel hopes to limit press coverage of the effects of its latest blockade.
On Tuesday Dirk Jan Visser, a photographer with a foreign news service, was denied entry into the Gaza Strip, on Monday BBC journalist Aleem Maqbool and his colleague were denied entry into Gaza, and a French journalist, “V” was denied permission to leave.
Security officer for UNRWA Andrew Pollock said that there had indeed been some fluxuation in the number of journalists allowed in and out of Gaza, and added that this had been the case since the security situation in the area became after 4 November.
Spokesperson for the UN Media office in Gaza (OCHA) Hamada Al-Bayari confirmed that restrictions had been placed on internationals wishing to enter and exit Gaza, and added that the case is even worse for Gazans. “Since the Israeli invasion that saw the killing of the six Hamas activists,” he said, “crossing activity has been limited.” Al-Bayari noted that only severe humanitarian cases are being allowed to leave Gaza.
Given the fluxuation of Israeli security procedures as of Tuesday, Al-Bayari said, we will have to “wait and see” if reports of the barring of journalists from the area represent a strict Israeli policy.
The Israeli army offices in charge of the Erez crossing, the only point of entry or exit for human traffic, refused to comment on the situation.
Israeli journalists have been barred from Gaza for over two years.
Source > Ma'an News | nov 11
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